As Rei, Set, and Ara entered the Noble’s Faction camp, they were immediately met with countless stares.
Preparations for withdrawal were well underway even here, but the two-meter-long Gryphon remained an impossible sight to ignore. Once the soldiers realized the young man accompanying the beast was Rei, the level of attention reached a fever pitch.
“...Well, I suppose this was bound to happen, given how much I’ve stood out,” Rei muttered.
“Guruuu.”
“I’m sorry,” Ara offered sheepishly.
Ara knew that Rei’s presence would cause a stir in the Noble’s Faction camp, but since her master, Elena, had explicitly requested this meeting—or rather, a secret rendezvous—there was no other choice but to escort him.
Rei had drawn plenty of attention in the Neutral Faction’s camp as well, but because he had stayed in one place for a long time storing supplies into his Misty Ring, the intensity of the gazes had eventually faded. Here, however, he was a fresh sight, walking alongside Ara until they finally reached Elena's tent.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Is it really all right for me to keep my weapons?” Rei asked.
A knight, likely one of Ara’s subordinates, was guarding the entrance, but Ara urged Rei inside without the slightest concern. Normally, a visitor would be expected to surrender their armaments, but she made no such request.
Ara gave a wry smile at Rei’s question. “Since Lord Rei is an Item Box user, there’s little point in confiscating the weapons you’re carrying. Unless we seized the Item Box itself, which I assume you’d refuse?”
Rei nodded silently. He trusted Elena and Ara, but he couldn't extend that trust to all their subordinates—not after someone like Vel, the former member of the Escort Knight Order, had been discovered in their ranks.
“Exactly. It isn’t as if I could demand you hand over your Item Box just to allow a meeting. Now, please, come in.”
“I see. Thanks.”
Rei gave a brief word of thanks for her consideration and entered the tent with Set.
The knight guarding the entrance froze at the sight of Set, but the Gryphon ignored him, entering as if it were a common occurrence. Once inside, Rei let out a breath of renewed admiration. The interior felt less like a tent and more like a proper room, just as it had the last time he visited.
“Rei, I’m glad you came. Come over here. ...Hm? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing,” Rei replied, shaking his head.
Elena stood up from the sofa to welcome him. Despite the battle being over, she remained encased in her signature, nearly pure white half-plate armor.
“Kyu!”
Iero took flight from the sofa with a chirpy cry and landed squarely on Set’s back. Set caught the little creature firmly, and the two began their usual cross-species conversation while Rei sat down on the sofa as Elena gestured.
“Ara, tea please.”
“Yes, right away.”
As if they were of one mind, Ara nodded and headed toward the simple kitchen area. Once she was gone, Elena immediately struck up a conversation.
“Rei, Filma told me you intend to return directly to the City of Gilm rather than the Royal Capital. Is that true?”
“Yeah. As you know, I’ve stood out a bit too much lately. If I went to the capital now, I’d be buried in recruitment offers and political headaches. Lord Daskar decided it was best to keep me out of the public eye for now.”
Rei understood that Daskar also had his own agenda—wanting to keep Rei’s power away from rival factions—but since that aligned with his own interests, he had accepted it. Elena looked disappointed but nodded understandingly.
“True. Every noble—and likely the royalty—would be circling you. Lord Daskar’s judgment is sound. But... it’s still a shame to part ways here. I had hoped to spend a bit more time with you after finally reuniting.”
Elena’s cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke her heart. Her beauty was undeniable, and in that moment, she exuded a particular radiance—the allure of a girl maturing into a woman.
For a second, Rei felt drawn to her and started to reach out a hand, but he caught himself and pulled back. He remembered that Ara was still present in the tent.
He took a small breath to steady himself. “Before the war started, we talked about going to a Labyrinth City together. I don’t intend for that to be an empty promise, provided you’re still interested.”
Elena’s eyes widened, and she looked at him timidly. “Truly? I would love to, but surely you have your own duties?”
She glanced briefly toward Set, who was still playing with Iero. Elena knew about Beast Magic and how Set grew; she hadn't expected Rei to take her idle suggestion so seriously. Her gaze was a mix of joy and bewilderment.
“Indeed. Since we'll be busy for a while now that the war has just ended, it might not be immediate, but I think we'll have some leeway in a few months,” Ara said as she placed the teacups in front of them.
“Is that true!?” Elena asked, her face lighting up.
“Yes. It’s a blessing in disguise, but the victory over the Bestia Empire was decisive. They attacked with a massive force, and it will take a long time for them to rebuild. They’ll likely need a year or two at least. Especially regarding their Dragon Knights—Lord Rei decimated nearly their entire unit. It might take a decade for them to regain their former strength. They still have Wyverns currently growing, of course, but it won’t be easy to replenish their numbers.”
“Wyverns... right.”
Rei couldn't help but sigh. As Ara said, he had defeated nearly all of them, but he hadn't secured a single material or Magic Stone. While he had been off reporting the victory to Count Alius, the members of the surprise attack unit had finished disarming the prisoners and immediately set to work dismantling the dead Wyverns near the main camp. Rei had wanted at least two dragons’ worth of spoils, but Siminal had informed him that battlefield loot was "first come, first served," and he’d been forced to give up.
(Never mind the materials, I really wanted the Magic Stones. Even if they’re just subdragons, a dragon is still a dragon. I probably could have gotten a new skill.)
Just as he was lamenting his missed opportunity, two objects were placed on the table with a soft click. Elena smiled as Rei stared at them.
“Magic Stones?” he whispered.
“Yes. You weren't there when the scavenging began, so I asked Lord Siminal to secure these two for me. You’re collecting them, aren't you?”
Implicitly, she was telling him she had claimed them specifically for him. She pushed the five-centimeter stones toward him. They were small compared to the Ancient Dragon Magic Stone from the Altar of Inheritance, but they were genuine stones from a dragon species.
“Is this really okay?”
“Guruuu?”
Set, overhearing the word "Magic Stone," stretched his neck to look at the table. Elena watched him with a smile and nodded.
“Yes. I kept them for you. If you don't take them, I have no use for them.”
“This helps a lot. Thanks.”
Rei stored the Magic Stones into his Misty Ring. He couldn't exactly feed them to Set or use the Death Scythe in front of Ara, though he wouldn't have minded showing the process to Elena herself.
“...Right, what were we talking about?” Rei asked, trying to steer the conversation back.
“We were saying that it will take Lady Elena a few months to finish her duties,” Ara clarified. “Once the triumphal ceremony in the Royal Capital is over and she returns to Anesis in Duke Kerebel's Territory to finish the post-war processing... let’s see, in about three months, she should be able to move freely for a while.”
“Is that so!?” Elena beamed at the news.
Ara smiled back. “Yes. When I checked with Meechen a little while ago, that's what he said.”
“...Meechen?” Rei tilted his head at the name.
“The Vice-commander of Lady Elena’s Escort Knight Order,” Ara explained. “To be honest, I’m not very good at administrative work, so I have him handle that side of things.”
“I see.” Knowing Ara, Rei found that perfectly understandable.
“Wonderful. Then, Rei—in three months, it should be the beginning of summer. It’s a perfect season for traveling. Shall we go to the Labyrinth City then?”
“Yeah. As I said, I’m game. If you’re okay with it, I’ll keep my schedule open.”
“Good. Then come to Anesis in three months.”
“Lady Elena, that might not be wise,” Ara interrupted. “Anesis is the heart of the territory. If people see Lord Rei acting together with you there, it will cause an uproar.”
Elena was the symbol of the Noble’s Faction. Countless nobles, both men and women, admired her or sought to claim her for themselves. She was a Duke’s daughter, the confirmed successor, and a beauty beyond compare. Moreover, as the Princess General, she was a warrior that most knights couldn't even hope to touch. To any single noble, she was the ultimate prize. If a man were seen getting close to her, the jealous backlash would be immense.
Ara, wanting to shield her master from such headaches, suggested an alternative. “There is a small village just outside Anesis. A former member of the Escort Knight Order who retired due to injury runs a tavern there. If you get in touch with us through him...”
“Understood. I’ll remember that.”
Rei nodded, noticing how much time had passed. He wanted to stay with Elena, but he was still under Daskar’s employ and needed to resume his logistics work.
“I should get back to work. This is likely the last time we’ll see each other during this campaign, but I’m glad we could talk.”
“As am I,” Elena whispered.
She glanced at Ara, who caught the unspoken meaning. Ara picked up the empty teacups and retreated to the kitchen. Though they were still in the same tent, the distance gave them a moment of privacy.
Elena stood up and moved to sit directly beside Rei.
“Rei... despite the circumstances of this war, I was truly happy to see you again.”
“Yeah... me too.”
Rei looked into her eyes, feeling the pull of her maturity. Elena was several years older than him, and that gap showed in the intensity of her gaze. Almost instinctively, Rei reached out and touched her smooth cheek.
“Ah...”
A soft, warm sound escaped Elena's lips as he leaned in. Slowly, they closed the distance until their lips finally met.